Here's what I'm using. No issues with line cutting the float or the knot going through. Maybe I don't use them enough, as I do vary my techniques. Are you using the correct ties for the lb. test you are using? I notice there are two sizes.
That looks like the bead I always replace. 2-4lb line will cut grooves in those after repeated use. The farther you cast and shallower you fish the worse it is. If fising deep water where the bobber is usually pulled under a ways and you don't have worry about spooking them, so you don't have to cast as far, the problem lessens. I never used those bobber stops. They get caught on the guides and in the reel when fishing deep and trying to cast. Round unwaxed dental floss works as well and one 'box' will last for years.
Interesting. No issues getting caught in the guides or reel with my spinning rods and reels. I use 8 pound test test when I harvest fish from the pond as I want to bring them in asap if I end up releasing them.
I make my own slip floats out of balsa, and I use glass craft beads for the slide as they will not be cut by the line. A couple of tips.....the secret to any float, whether it be fixed or sliding, is proper balance. You should add weight to achieve a near neutral buoyancy, so the float will signal the slightest take. Many off the shelf slip floats utilize a barrel weight on the stem, held in place by a rubber o-ring.For my homemade floats I take steel flat washers, of an appropriate size for the "stem", and cut a slit on one side. This allows me to adjust weight, a little at a time, without breaking my line to do so. I slide the o-ring down off the stem onto my line, and just add or remove flat washers onto my line, via the slit, then slide them up onto the stem, followed by the o-ring to hold them in place. Works great, and by adding weight to the float instead of the line, it helps maintain sensitivity on those subtle uptakes.Also, I add a second stop below the slip float......if I encounter a situation which would be better served by a fixed float, I can slide the stop up against the float and "capture" it between the top and bottom stops, so it cannot move.
To me, a slipfloat requires two kinds of weight. Casting weight, needed to get out there, and placement weight, needed to take my bait down to depth. I want the smallest placement weight I can get by with, so as to not spook the fish when they pick up my offering and feel resistance, but I may need some extra casting weight in order to hit that spot 50-60' away. That's why I prefer the bulk of my weight to be attached to the float itself, and not the line....it gives me the flexibility needed to cast for distance, and still not have my bait plummet to the bottom like a rock...I just want enough weight on the line to take my bait to depth, no more.
sprkplug, Do you turn those bobbers on a wood lathe? Never tried to turn balsa wood??!! Thanks!!!! pearly